Just a FYI. You can call a bank before you take a check in and say "I have a check but I have gotten NSF from this person before, The check is for $50, I just want to make sure it will clear if I bring it in today - the account number is" (read it from the check, if your not sure which it is they will help you figure out the numbers". Works every time and can be very helpful when dealing with THOSE clients. Also charging a CC at time of appointment and only allowing ONE change of appt before you charge their appointment AGAIN helps. They will figure out your time is valuable if you charge them for it.
:) Jess > I admit, at this point most of what I'm about to rant about is rhetorical, > but by all means! If anyone has input that help me gain new perspective I sure > would like to hear it! > > So, I have THIS ONE CLIENT, right? Here's the skinny: This gal has been off > and on my books since 2000 or 2001. I'm talking, she and I go way back. She > is more on than off-- only taking her nails off for a few weeks or months at a > time for major events like having a baby, moving, losing her job, etc. She > LOVES > her nails and she takes very good care of them. > > So she OUGHT to be a great client, right? > > Except that whenever I get a notice from my bank that someone's check has > been returned, I know it's hers. I don't get many returned checks at > all, and I haven't had one I couldn't collect on since the 1900s. Even > this client always manages to take care of the problem plus the fees-- it's > just that she bounces a check at least once a year. > > Or she used to. She has been really good for the last year. But that's > because she writes me the check and then texts me the next day saying, > "don't deposit that check, I'll bring cash after work." Or, > "don't deposit that check, I'll pay you on Pay Pal." > > Which is irritating in it's "OMG, you are 33 years old, when will you > grow up and figure out how to balance your checkbook?!" way-- but > wouldn't be TOOOOOO inconvenient on me IF she actually came by after work > the very next day and actually dropped off the cash. But instead, it usually > takes her several days. If I call her on it, she says "blah blah > blah...have to wait till I get paid." > > Like I said... I have received several bank notices from her checks in the > past-- I'd just as soon wait for the cash. > > OR, she comes in as scheduled, gets her nails done, writes out her check, > hands > it to me and says, "Can you hold that until....?" > > I know I know! You are thinking, "Maggie! Stop taking checks from this > girl!" > > DUH, huh? > > Something in my brain says I can't refuse to take checks from just one > client. Discrimination issues and such. Maybe that's not true? > > But wait! There's more! > > ASIDE from her fiduciary immaturity, there is the constant rescheduling. It is > not unusual for her to reschedule 2 to 3 times in a row! Sometimes she's, > "cough cough...sick" sometimes "the baby is sick" sometimes > "it's too foggy to drive" (she lives in a neighboring town and it > does get foggy around here) sometimes *...@!ifiknow-- she just reschedules. > > I have always had a relaxed policy on how much notice I require for cancels > and > reschedules. I have always said, "At least 2 hours" because that is > the bare minimum for managing to call someone else and get them in on short > notice. Recently I've changed everything to "24 hours greatly > appreciated" but I know that there are days when you went to bed feeling > fine and wake up with a fever, puking your guts up-- I just don't understand > why you wouldn't call and cancel ALL your day's appointments at the same > time you call your boss to let them know you won't be in that day? > > Nevertheless, it's not unusual for THIS ONE CLIENT to call me up barely 2 > hours before she's supposed to be in my chair with her best little girl > "I'm sick" voice to tell me she can't make her appointment. > THEN she proceeds to validate her claim by letting me know that she was so > sick > all day that she didn't even go to work! Ummmmm-- why didn't you call me > earlier than? > > Oh! Trust me, the list goes on and on! > > And YES! I HAVE fired her before! LOL! And everytime she has stopped coming in > I have noted in her file that I DO NOT WANT HER BACK! But eventually she comes > crawling back. Literally BEGGING me to take her back. She has even bribed me > with gift cards! > > Seriously, if she were a boyfriend I was trying to break up with, I'd > change my phone number! > > Usually what happens is that she'll eventually come begging at a time when > I'm slow and looking to fill spots and I give in. > > It starts out ok, then goes right back to the old crap. > > But for the most part-- she walks that thin line between crappy-but-acceptable > and past-the-point-of-my-patience. > > Truth is, I have had WAY worse clients over the years. And I have some > unwritten set of conditions in my head where I draw my lines. This client is > always dancing right at that edge and just when she's about to put her other > foot over the line, she jumps back instead. So I don't like her. I don't > miss her when she's gone. But I just don't feel like she's done > anything to warrant a flat out refusal of service. > > Her latest drama: Last week I did her fill. She wrote me a check for $50 (BTW: > She has NEVER tipped me. Not once. She does not bring me presents-- she even > went through a phase where she was constantly late to her appointments and > arrived with Starbucks in hand-- for HER, never brought me one! she only > bribes > me when she can't get an appointment.) She was my last client and she left. > > Mom was at the salon with me and as I locked up, I looked at the check and > noticed which bank it was written on. It's the same bank my grandmother > banks with and since Mom has recently been tasked with doing g'ma's > banking, I asked if that bank was one of the ones that charges non-customers > to > cash a check? Mom said, "no." So I had EVERY intention of cashing the > check at the bank in the a.m. > > EXCEPT! First thing the next morning I got a text from the client to tell me > to > "hold on to that check" because over night her car had been broken > into and her purse had been stolen. > > Nevermind why the heck was her purse in the car overnight?! > > So began a week long saga of me shaking my head thinking it's always > something with this one. > > The BF said I should have run to my bank and deposited the check pronto. Then > demanded a copy of the police report. > > Mind you: I was not really comprehending his grand plan at the time. He was > thinking it was a line of BS and she was making up the story because she > didn't have the funds. (For the record, I don't think so. I think her > purse really got stolen. She's just not that creative and she's never > had a problem just plain telling me to hold a check before.) I was thinking > that > it wasn't really worth the bank fees just to call B.S. > > I wasn't really thinking that if I did produce a police report that the > bank would reverse any charges associated with the check not clearing. But > whatever. > > So now I have had this check sitting around for over a week. > > The day after I got her message, I left her a message asking about the check. > I > did not receive a reply for a week. > > One week after her appointment she informed me that her checking account was > wiped out by the woman who stole her purse. And that the bank will not > "replace" the money in her account until the 15th, so she can't > pay anyone till then. > > The thing is: if it were anyone else, I'd be sympathetic. But it's not > anyone else, it's this one. And even though I don't think she's > making it up, I don't care. > > But I just don't understand why I haven't plain and simple cut her off? > I've never had any trouble firing clients who deserved it before. > ... > > read more ยป --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/NailTech?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
